California Assembly Bill 2943 is raising a lot of eyebrows around the country. What the bill is about is placing a ban on the advertising and/or sale of sexual orientation change efforts, or SOCE. “Sexual orientation change efforts” refers to any effort by someone seeking to change someone else’s sexual orientation. In other words, if someone is a homosexual, this law would ban a counselor in a paid transaction situation from encouraging that homosexual to adopt a heterosexual lifestyle. It would also ban the sale of any books or other media that encourages a homosexual to adopt a heterosexual lifestyle. There is no word if the bill would also ban someone from trying to convince a heterosexual to become a homosexual, but that would probably be OK given the moral climate in California.

          Aside from the fact that this bill makes certain free speech illegal, there is a more direct concern to Christians. What if a pastor, whose job description includes counseling, sits down with one of his youth and talks about this issue? He gets paid, in part, to do counseling for all manner of things. In doing so and talking against homosexuality, is he violating the law? The way the bill is worded, yes, he is in violation of the law. There are several fact checking organizations that say no, the bill would not be interpreted in that fashion, but why not? The wording is pretty broad. Besides, we were told in the beginning that abortions would happen only in the cases of rape, incest and if the mother’s life was in danger. We see how that has gone. It has become the ultimate in birth control. Going on, though, if you cannot sell media material that condemns homosexuality and the efforts to get someone to leave that lifestyle behind, could the Bible be banned from being sold? Leviticus 20:13---If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Now that is a pretty stern warning to the Jews who are contemplating a homosexual lifestyle. Maybe just the Old Testament would be banned? Probably not just the Old Testament. Romans 1:26-28---Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. Well, that seems like a pretty clear denunciation of homosexuality in the New Testament. Would it be enough to have sales of the Bible banned?

          There are many who would say that ministers will not be fined or arrested and the sale of the Bible will never be banned in these United States. As it happens, I am old enough to remember prayer in school. I remember the pastor of the little church we attended for a while in Leroy, Ohio telling us that Christians would never allow prayer to be taken out of school. I remember when abortion became legal. Even the Christians I knew were saying that they could understand the rape and incest and health of the mother thing. Made sense. And I remember what was said when same sex marriages were allowed. All three of these things were not laws that were passed. These things were decisions by the Supreme Court in interpreting existing laws. However, here it is a law being passed and the wording of the law does allow for legal action against ministers and the banning of the sale of the Bible.

           Of course, there will be courageous ministers and churches that will defy the law. But, cowardice is far easier. And there will be thousands of Christians nationwide who will put up money to buy Bibles to be given away in California. Time, however, will lessen the sting of the new law. Ministers will start leaving California. They will have families to consider. It won’t take long and California will be left to the devices of Satan. Then, gradually, other states will adopt their own laws. It is, after all, the considerate thing to do. Or, maybe, the Supreme Court will just make a ruling and just like that the law will become nationwide.

         Do you really think it will not happen? Really? After all we have seen? Really? Maybe we have adopted a ‘so what’ mentality about the other things. It doesn’t affect me. But this will affect you and me and all of Christianity.

          In one way, I look forward to the coming hailstorm. Christians in this country have never faced real persecution. It is going to be interesting to see how we handle it. But then, I also consider those younger than me. The struggles they will face, the hardships they will endure. And I consider all those who think it will never come here. Their disappointment as they enter into those struggles and hardships. Winston Churchill told the British House of Commons in 1948, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” And it will be a condemnation.

          So, what can we do? Legally, any chance to vote something like this down, we do it. The real weapon, though, is prayer. Seeking God’s will. The US is not mentioned in end time prophecy (there are those who say the US is there, but that is based in hope rather than real Scripture). By the time the end times are upon us we will not be a Spiritual nation at all. Even so, we Christians need to still pray. Pray for the Lord to forestall it and pray that the Lord gives us the strength to withstand it.

          Amazing where we are in 2018. More than ever, we need to depend upon the Lord. Deuteronomy 31:6---Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. The hand writing, so to speak, is on the wall. But we need to be strong and courageous.

          Blessings.

          God had a plan for Adam and Eve. Then Satan popped up and that plan was sidetracked. God had a plan for Noah. Satan tried to cripple that plan, but he failed because Noah was faithful. God had a plan for Abraham and Sarah. Satan rose up at every fork in the road and attempted to wreck the plan. Sometimes he succeeded, but when he did succeed in interrupting Abraham, Abraham learned a little more about God. In the end, Abraham followed God and won the victory. God had a plan for David. Satan was desperate to spoil the plan and, like with Abraham, Satan won a few rounds. But God, in partnership with David, won out and the plan was fulfilled. God had a plan for Paul. But Satan, working through difficult circumstances and physical problems and unfaithful assistants, tried mightily to silence Paul, only to find that Paul could not be silenced.

          There is a constant war going on between God and Satan and the war is being fought on the battlefield of our very souls. God has a plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11-13---¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. When we fail to achieve the plan, it is because Satan has stepped in the way. However, when Satan does assail us, we know that the plan is important enough to warrant Satan working to thwart the plan. Do we cave to Satan, or do we push forward with the Lord?

               What is God’s plan for Urbana Yoke Parish? Since I am the pastor of the church, I naturally have all the answers. So, Pastor, what is God’s plan for Urbana Yoke Parish? I can tell you unequivocally and knowingly……I have no idea. I can, however, quote the great old song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.” Many things about tomorrow/ I don't seem to understand/ But I know who holds tomorrow/ And I know who holds my hand.

          God has a plan for this church. As Jeremiah said, He is giving us a future and a hope. Back in April, we made a huge leap of faith, voting to move to just one worship center after many, many years of spending large sums of money keeping two older buildings open and looking sharp. This decision was a hard one for many to make. But the committee gave a clear and well thought out, and well researched, presentation. For all of us there was clearly little choice. Where will this lead? There will eventually be more money for ministry. As we go along there will be benefits we cannot imagine as yet. And we will see, eventually, the plan that God has for this church that has been delayed for multiple decades. For the moment, we are seeing an excitement that I, for one, didn’t expect. Things are happening, things are taking shape and soon the builders will be on site. It is a blessing!

          But, as always, there is Satan. If all this was happening and there was no response from Satan, I would be worried. He is not going to trifle with any church if he sees that church just plugging dully along, wearily following their own lead rather than the leading of the Lord. Lots of churches do that and Satan just lets them go. Why should he bother when they are doing his work for him? However, we have seen little things of the workings of Satan here and there. Rumors. Applications for permits just dropping through the cracks. One contractor dropping out. All the usual delays. Nothing big, really. Through everything the folks have gotten stronger in resolve.

          And then, just in the last two weeks, people outside the church are suddenly getting angry. People who don’t attend and don’t support the ministry and who never have anything good to say, are suddenly threatening what we are doing. One says they will get the building that is going to no longer be used on the National Register of Historic Places so it cannot be anything other than what it is now. Another saying that they are going to retain a lawyer and legally stop what we are doing. Unreasoning anger and desperate words. Fueled by Satan. As one said, “I fully plan on taking legal action and getting a lawyer involved to save the church and get a petition going I have a dog in this fight and will just see who comes out on top” I didn’t accidentally forget to put punctuation in that portion. The whole e-mail was like that. One long, run-on sentence. Threatening. It actually made me smile a little. I can understand intense feeling, but when one resorts to threats, that person is being a mouth piece for Satan. And that then causes me to know that what we are doing is right. God doesn’t resort to threats and posturing. Satan does resort to threats and posturing. We are also told in these pleasant little postings that the people in the church were manipulated into making the decisions they made. That bothered me a little bit. A person who can be manipulated is a weak, emotionally compromised person. I look around on Sunday morning and I don’t see anyone like that at all. These people are insulting the congregation. It is all about their agenda, which is Satan’s agenda.

          Can the buildings be put on the National Register for Historic Places? Sure, if the owners of the buildings request it and the buildings are accepted as such. However, an outsider cannot get the buildings on the Register. Can they bring legal action? Yes, they can if they can find a lawyer to take a case he will lose. We were very careful to dot all the ‘I’s and cross all the ‘T’s to make sure we were legal in all we did. We will move forward.

          As we move forward we will be attacked by Satan. It doesn’t matter. God has a plan for us. Many of us will likely never see the full fruition of that plan, but personally speaking, I don’t have to see the end result in 20 or 30 years. Many things about tomorrow/ I don't seem to understand/ But I know who holds tomorrow/ And I know who holds my hand.

          One of my major faults as a husband (and I freely admit to many faults) is that I do not do vacations well. Over the last 40+ years vacations have been canceled or shortened because of things happening in the church. Money for vacations has sometimes been an issue. Sometimes it was a car you just could not trust to take anywhere. But mostly, over the years I have been unable to focus on getting away from it all and having fun. Either the church at the time has filled my mind or, during the funeral home days, the families I felt I was neglecting.

          Last week’s vacation could have been different. I have been trying to change my outlook on life since my surgery. I figure Marsha deserves that from me. Those canceled vacations and shortened vacations have affected her, as well. What we should have done with this vacation is that we should have gone somewhere instead of going ‘home.’

          While on vacation everyone I talked to asked me how it felt to be ‘home.’ I know what they meant. In a ten mile stretch on Rt. 20 in Northeast Ohio there are three towns. Perry to the west, Madison in the middle and Geneva to the east. I grew up in Perry, Marsha and I lived in Madison and we pastored and lived in Geneva, where our son and his wife still live. If anywhere is home, it is that stretch of three towns. Except it isn’t home. Not to me. For the first little bit when someone would ask how was it being home, I replied, “I’ll let you know next week.” I thought that was funny and clever. It just got met with confused looks, so I let it go.

          While on vacation we saw, and stayed with, family. That is always a good thing. For a little while. No longer do you have to worry about long distance calling rates, so we are in contact with family whenever we want to be. Getting together is enjoyable as far as being in their presence, but there is nothing to catch up on. Margaret had a bout with cancer and had surgery, but Marsha stayed on top of that. Adam struggled with his long drive to work last winter, but we knew all about it. Buddy has gotten some things settled in his life, but we were aware. Nothing new to catch up with. I kept thinking about Mary Earle going zip lining and wishing we had done the same. It is not a lack of love for family. It is just that there are many things to do.

          While on vacation we got together with friends. Word got out through our daughter in law that we were coming into town and all of a sudden, our free time was gone. I got together with four different pastors over four meals (Marsha got to miss one of those get togethers). We also got together with the funeral home crew for a big meal together. It was very nice, but it also was not in the original plan. It certainly wasn’t wasted time. In these cases, there was catching up to do. Baby pictures to look at, stories to tell, tears to wipe away. I was, and still am, very close with the pastors and the funeral home crew. At one time I have prayed with all of them. There have been times when some of them have prayed with me. It just wasn’t part of the plan.

          While on vacation we got to see the sights. Sort of. There were some places we were absolutely going to go to, but never had the time. There is a favorite park we used to go to a lot and have picnics, particularly on New Year’s Day. (Amazing how empty parks are in Northeast Ohio on New Year’s.) Beautiful park. We have had great times there! We drove through. Took maybe 10 minutes. The Amish community in our area is not commercialized or built up. One small general store with a place to eat. We intended to drive around, but we went to the general store and had a sandwich. Not enough time for anything else. Lake Erie was always a part of our lives. Often the rolling of the surf would put us to sleep at night, or on occasion the tug boat horns blowing as they wrestled a ship into harbor would keep us awake. We sat in the car on a bluff over looking the Lake for about five minutes. Then we had to go.

          We left a day early because Marcia Knee was in the hospital, and it was a good thing. If we had left when we had planned I would never have gotten to have had my last conversation with her before her passing. But my Marsha and I were both happy to leave and come home. With the church happenings and school starting and the holidays rolling in (sorry, but it is true) there is so much to do and to look forward too. Vacations are good, but they don’t beat real life.

          There was one thing on vacation that was a real treat, though. Rev. Bob Cunningham pastored a church close by the church I pastored in Geneva for years. Bob and his wife Judy and Marsha and myself did some things as couples, ballgames, meals and such, but Bob and I got together weekly for coffee and conversation. When they retired they moved to Arizona for Judy’s health. Judy died a couple of weeks after my surgery and in time, Bob moved to where he wanted to move to in retirement, which was Florida. Though we talk often, we hadn’t seen each other in six years. As it happened, Bob was going to be coming up the same week we were going to Ohio. We arranged to have dinner together and then the three of us went to a ballgame. But the real fun came on Sunday. Bob had had a man in his church named Brett Hildabrandt who felt led into the ministry. Brett went through the lay ministry course under Bob and completed it. By that time Bob had retired. Brett then became my associate pastor for several years. He told me once that Bob had been his inspiration, I had been his mentor and Marsha had been his big sister. Brett now pastors a church in the area. He and I talk fairly often, but we haven’t seen each other since we moved here and he and Bob haven’t seen each other for quite a while. So, Bob and Marsha and I conspired to just pop in on him on Sunday morning. We sat down front on the third row. (typical church, we were the farthest ones forward in the church) Brett came in talking to one of the men. He was busy reading something, but he finally put it aside and started to scan the crowd. His eyes flitted past us and continued on, then he stopped and slowly came back to Marsha. Recognition settled on his face. Then he looked at me then Bob. He just dropped his head, but you could see the big grin. Now that was fun and worth the entire vacation.

          So, we are back. This past week has been busy, next week will be busy, holidays are coming………..good to be home.

          Marsha and I are leaving Monday morning for a week’s vacation. It will actually be the first time we have taken off together since we have been here. Because of my extended time off with my surgery last year I really didn’t feel I could take vacation time off. Then, Aaron insisted (Pastor Larry, you will take a week off.) and I scheduled a week in September. But Marsha had an event with the ladies and one thing led to another and we got away for two days to Michigan. But now, we are going to be visiting family in Ohio for a week. Other than two over night trips to Ohio for funerals, I have not been back in the time we have been here. I am looking forward to it.

          Getting together with non-family members is going to happen, too, but with three other pastors. And the funeral home folks. Our daughter-in-law called the other night to talk to Marsha. Somehow, my former co-workers at the funeral home found out we were going to be in town. (The only way they would know is the daughter-in-law telling them since she works there.) They want us all to get together. I really care for these people and we all have really good relationships. But, it is a family trip. On the other hand, it will be a free meal. The getting together with the pastors will be in three different situations, all of which involve eating. (Ever wonder what pastors do when they get together? They eat.) I talked to one pastor this week, a man who has been my friend for 23 years. I went to Ohio last December for an overnight to be with him at his son’s funeral. When we talked on the phone he told me he really needed to talk about some things. I have a feeling what it is about, because we have talked about it many times. Chuck is a retired United Methodist Church pastor, but he is still fairly active. With everything going on in the UMC, and given how distressed he has become over it all, I think Chuck is going to cut his ties with his denomination. It is distressing to see someone agonizing over losing something like that, but it is encouraging to know he is choosing Scripture over tradition. My old friend is struggling with the issue and it is causing him pain.

          The UMC is not the only denomination that is following a different path than Scripture. Acutely aware of society, almost every denomination in America today is trying to walk a line between God’s Word and society trends. The problem when you straddle the fence is that you are accomplishing nothing. We have talked about this whole thing in this blog before, so we are not going to get into it now. Suffice it to say, every denomination in the country is getting smaller at a time when the population is growing at an unprecedented rate. The UMC, as an example, has gone from 11,000,000 people in the USA in 1968 to 7,000,000 million now while the national population has grown from 201,000,000 in 1968 to 327,000,000 in 2017. Religion is in trouble.

          BUT! WAIT! There is good news! Religion is not the same as Christianity. I know I have been quoting polls lately by Christian polling companies that keep their fingers on the pulse of Christianity in America, and this will be the last time for a while, but while church attendance is going down, Bible reading is actually going up. You would think that one would reflect the other, but the fact is, many church goers never crack the Book while many readers never darken the doors of a church.

          Here is what I have found out this week. 48% of Americans read their Bibles. Meanwhile, less than 20% attend church. Granted, the first poll question asked if you read daily, the next if you read weekly, the next monthly and then the last quarterly. But the question for church attendance is the same, which still puts Bible reading way above church attendance. In fact, those adults who read at least several times a week are at 35 %. And this does not include reading in church.

51% of all Baby Boomers (age 53 -71) read the Bible on a regular basis, while the generation above that, the Elders, only have 48% who read the Bible. I have been told all my adult life that Boomers are taking the country to ‘hell in a handbasket’, whatever that means, but it seems as my generation gets older they are turning back to the Word. In fact, all the age groups among adults (Millennials, Gen Xers, Boomers and Elders) are all reading the Bible to some degree at close to 50%. It is a trend we don’t see in the news media, but it seems that, in the privacy of their own time, Americans are dusting off the Word.

 Another interesting thing is that well over half of all these people who are reading the Word are reading it electronically. Computers, laptops, tablets, Kindles, cell phones or whatever. Many reasons for that, but the biggest is convenience. I do this mostly because I can adjust the font to be able to read better. But there is no denying that convenience is a key. Also, in many electronic applications, one can cross reference and search with lightning speed not to mention the fact that, in many cases,  you can set your electronic device to read to you.

 66% of all Americans wonder often what the Bible says about certain events, which indicates a certain confidence in the authority of the Scripture. What is really interesting here is that among the most curious are adults with minor aged children at home. They are worried about their children and want some reassurances. Further, 53% of adult American wonder how the Bible can affect their lives. This would indicate to me that maybe, just maybe, people are realizing that they need a guidebook to get through life.

 57% of adult readers say that reading the Scripture makes them more aware of their need for God in their lives. They may not understand, at least at first, how that happens and how it fits their lives, but they are on a journey, and a journey is made up of many steps. People are reading the Scripture and wanting more.

 To end the poll, 58% of all adult Americans say that the Bible has transformed their lives.

 Your first reaction is probably exactly like mine. WHAT??!!? That makes no sense whatsoever. How can people be reading the Bible more and sin is abounding more? If all these people are seeking, why aren’t they in church? If the Bible is changing attitudes, why don’t we see it? And, maybe the biggest question, how can they hope to understand this complex Book on their own?

 But then, we stop and consider. Maybe sin is abounding more because Satan sees the trend. Not all these seekers are born again Christians, but even born again Christians get into some bad situations filled with sin. Reading the Bible, being curious, seeking answers does not mean that sin no longer has dominion. Then the second question; where are these people in church? Evidently, they are seeing something different in the Scripture than they are seeing in church. They are reading about love, but in church they see gossip, backbiting, arguing, anger and disunion. If you are seeking medical help, do you go to a crack house? Church and their denominations are moving away from God. The third question asks why we don’t see the changing attitudes. I think it is because we are pretty much stuck on being around and fellowshipping with people like ourselves. Maybe the only window we have to the wider world we have out there is the window the news media gives us. Do we actively go out and seek people, or do we insulate ourselves? And then, lastly, we wonder; how can they understand the meanings in the Bible outside of organized study? It is a good question, and a valid one. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me, “What does this mean?” While knowledge of Biblical times and knowledge of the languages and all that is useful, the fact is that the Bible is not really hard to understand. We think it is because we have been told it is hard to understand, but it is not. On my laptop, I use a web-page that has 58 English translations of the Bible as well as a lot of reference material. It is all there at my fingertips, and much easier to use and even understand than any of my print Bibles. People are finding out that yes!, they can read and understand the Word of God!

People are moving away from denominations because the denominations are moving away from the God they are seeking. People are moving away from churches because churches are not reflecting the Lord. The Bible says we are to gather ourselves together. We study, we fellowship, we become a family. That is what draws people together.

In the end, the Word of God will be triumphant. I want to ride that bandwagon!